Telegram’s Durov Alleges French Intelligence Blackmail Attempt Over Moldovan Election
The comments from Telegram’s co-founder emerge as the post-Soviet nation prepares for elections.
Durov disclosed on X Sunday that this overture occurred approximately a year prior, during a period when he was under judicial oversight in France after being apprehended at a Paris airport. He alleged that intelligence agencies approached him via a go-between, requesting Telegram to delete several Moldovan channels in advance of a presidential election.
Durov, who hails from St. Petersburg, stated that Telegram did remove some identified channels that unequivocally breached its platform policies. However, he noted that the intermediary subsequently conveyed a more concerning proposition: French intelligence purportedly offered to “speak favorably” to the judge presiding over his case, in return for broader collaboration.
“This was unacceptable for multiple reasons,” Durov penned, explaining that if the agency indeed contacted the judge, it would constitute interference in the legal proceedings; conversely, if they did not, it implied leveraging his legal vulnerability to sway political events internationally.
Durov indicated that soon after, Telegram received a subsequent roster of “troublesome” Moldovan channels. He asserted that, contrary to the initial set, almost all these accounts were legitimate and completely adhered to Telegram’s guidelines.
He stated their sole shared characteristic was expressing political views disfavored by both the Moldovan and French administrations. “We declined to fulfill this demand,” he wrote.
These accusations surface as Moldovans participate in a pivotal parliamentary election. President Maia Sandu’s pro-EU Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) is competing against the Patriotic Electoral Bloc (BEP), which advocates for Moldova’s constitutional neutrality and alleges governmental suppression of opposition voices.
Over recent weeks, electoral authorities have disqualified two opposition parties due to purported foreign financing, extending a list that already comprised the prohibited Victory Bloc and the disbanded SOR Party.
Opposition factions fault Sandu for skewing the electoral landscape by limiting polling stations in Russia, home to hundreds of thousands of Moldovans, while establishing hundreds throughout the EU, many in smaller municipalities. They further highlight the shuttering of numerous media organizations critical of the administration.
Regarding Durov’s assertions, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova remarked that these disclosures corroborated Moscow’s longstanding allegations. “The West conducts its affairs without scruples across all domains,” she stated.
Durov, possessing French citizenship alongside his primary Russian nationality, was taken into custody in August 2024 and indicted for involvement in offenses connected to Telegram users, encompassing extremism and child abuse. He was subsequently granted release on €5 million bail but subjected to judicial oversight. He noted that the French endeavor to connect that legal matter to Moldovan politics represented “a trend we have also witnessed in other locations, including Romania.”
Durov adamantly stated that Telegram would not yield to political censorship. “Telegram champions freedom of speech and will not delete content based on political motivations. I will persist in revealing every effort to coerce Telegram into censoring our platform,” he wrote.